The impact of pediatric obesity on T cell function

Le résumé fourni par la source

Abstract The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is an urgent public health crisis. Children with obesity (≥ 95th percentile BMI for age and sex) are at an increased risk for developing asthma as well as cardiometabolic and autoimmune disorders. However, the mechanisms by which excess weight impacts immune function in children is incompletely understood. To address this gap in knowledge, we assessed changes in immune cell function in obese children before and after bariatric surgery, a procedure used to facilitate weight loss in patients with severe obesity. We integrated high dimensional spectral flow cytometry, in vitro functional assays, and single-cell RNA-sequencing of intra-operative visceral adipose tissue and PBMCs to find that CD8+ T cells from obese children, compared to age-matched controls, had increased expression of TOX and inhibitory receptors (PD-1, LAG-3). This dysfunctional phenotype was persistent 6-18 months after surgery, despite significant weight loss (average change in BMI of 17%). Moreover, baseline CD8+ T cells from obese patients exhibit impaired proliferation and altered metabolic profiles following TCR stimulation. Future work will determine functional differences in the peripheral T cells of bariatric surgery patients at baseline compared to 6-18 months post-surgery and assess the local immune landscape within visceral adipose depots from obese compared to non-obese children.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.